Jamake Highwater

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jamake Highwater ( ca. 1930 -- June 2001) was an US writer and journalist who claimed Native American ancestry.

[edit] Earlier life as Jay Marks

Exact date of Highwater's birth is unknown but it might be anything between 1923-1933. (The date he later used in 1974 affidavit, February 14 1942, is unverified and unlikely). According to his later statements, he was adopted into a white family of Marcia and Alexander Marks in 1947 and given a name Jack or Jay Marks. He graduated from high school in 1950 and attended college in Los Angeles. He later claimed that he had met Susan Sontag and Anais Nin who he later credited to have encouraged him in writing.

In 1954 he moved to San Francisco and taught modern dance at a neighborhood school. By that time he used a name J Marks. In March 1955 he and other instructors formed the San Francisco Contemporary Dancers and Marks became its director and choreographer. He worked in that position until 1967. He also edited Contemporary, periodical for performing arts, in 1960-1962.

In 1967 Marks moved to New York and joined a project of his acquaintance Karlheinz Stockhausen. He began to rehearse reorganized Contemporary Dancers for a European tour but the project failed.

Marks wrote his first article to Saturday Review about the intended European tour in September 30, 1967. Later the same year he began to write the book Rock and other Four Letter Words for Bantam Books that was published the next year. He also began to write articles and music reviews to various publications. In 1973 he published a book about Mick Jagger.

[edit] Claims of Native American origin

In July 13, 1969 Marks first referred to himself as a Cherokee Indian in the interview for the Sunday News. He later stated that in 1974 he had received information from his adoptive mother with an affidavit which made him think that at least one of his parents were Indian. He stated that his mother was a Cherokee Marcia Highwater who had married Greek-born Alexandre Markropoulos and that he was born Jamake Highwater. He would later change these details.

Mark gradually begun to use a new name in the byline of his writing, first as Jamake Mamake Highwater but later dropped the middle name. Highwater began to write books about Native American art, dance and legends. Native Americans later charged that Highwater's information was stereotypical and false.

Highwater changed his story. Later he would state that his parents were a Blackfoot Amilia Bonneville and Cherokee James or Jamie Highwater and that his name was legally changed to Marks after adoption. The original parents had supposedly died of starvation during the Great Depression. Later he added a brother that would have been killed in the Korean War.

After 1975 he became a lecturer and author about Native American culture. He lived mostly in Soho, New York City. In 1975-1979 he was the classical music editor for the Soho Weekly News. In 1979-1985 he lectured in at New York University's School of Continuing Education and spoke in conferences and workshops. He also hosted programs for the Public Broadcasting System.

After 1980 Highwater begun to receive criticism from Native Americans who doubted his claims of Amerindian ancestry.

[edit] Criticism of claims

In 1978 Ed Calf Robe of the Bloods of Canada gave Highwater an honorary Indian name Eagle Boy, which he changed to Eagle Son. Calf Robe later refused to stage a formal ritual to officiate it.

In 1982 Highwater founded the non-profit trust the Native Land Foundation to promote world folk art. He also founded the Native Land Research Center near Hampton, Connecticut.

Joe DeLaCruz, 1984 President of National Congress of American Indians, stated that Highwater was fraudulent and that his informational was stereotypical and false.

In 1986 Hank Adams alleged that Highwater was in fact a filmmaker Gregory J. Markopoulos and had falsified his ethnic identity to get federal funding. Charges were dismissed.

Highwater began to write about more general themes. In 1992 the Native Land Foundation moved to Los Angeles, alongside with Highwater. Most of his papers were given to the New York Public Library.

Jamake Highwater died in June 2001.